The social circulation of poetry in the mid-Northern Song : emotional energy and literati self-cultivation / Colin S.C. Hawes.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hawes, Colin S. C.

Series:

SUNY series in Chinese philosophy and culture.

SUNY series in Chinese philosophy and culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Chinese poetry--Song dynasty, 960-1279--History and criticism.

Chinese poetry.

Friendship--Poetry.

Friendship.

Social interaction--Poetry.

Social interaction.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (224 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, c2005.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Observing that the vast majority of surviving Northern Song poems are directly addressed to other people, Colin S. C. Hawes explores how literati of China's mid-Northern Song period developed a social and therapeutic tradition in poetry. These social poems, produced in group settings and exchanged with friends and acquaintances, are often lighthearted in tone and full of witty banter and wordplay. Hawes challenges previous scholars' dismissal of these poems as trivial and insignificant because they lacked serious political and moral content by arguing that the central function of poetry at the time was to release pent-up emotions and share them with others in a socially acceptable manner—what Hawes views as circulating emotional energy or qi.Focusing on the circle of poets around Ouyang Xiu (1007–72 CE) and Mei Yaochen (1002–60 CE), the most influential literary figures of the mid-Northern Song period and the creators of a distinctive Song poetic style, Hawes provides a number of translations of poems of the period. Several major functions of poetic composition are discussed, including poetry as a game, as therapy, as a means of building relationships, and as a way of finding solace in history and in the natural world. Ultimately, the Northern Song attitude toward poetic composition spread throughout Chinese society.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Poetry and Energy Circulation

Poetry as Political and Social Criticism

Poetry as a Game

Poetry and Relationship Building

Poetry as Therapy

Poems Promoting Ancient Culture

Poetry as Humanization of Nature

Conclusion

Notes

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 203-209) and index.

ISBN:

9780791483183

0791483185

9781423748694

1423748697

OCLC:

461442001